Technological advancements such as the Internet, video on demand, high-definition television (HDTV), video conferencing, multiple telephone lines, etc. and the need or desire for better quality video and audio have created the demand for more and more bandwidth at businesses and homes. In response to this demand, telecommunications providers and others began installing fiber optic telecommunications cables with extremely large bandwidths to replace or supplement traditional copper and coaxial systems. Fiber-optic cable is known in the art to one of ordinary skill and is generally comprised of a plurality of fiber-optic strands and buffering material encased in one or more layers of shielding material. Initially, because of the cost of fiber optic cable, head-end equipment and terminating equipment, the fiber optic cable was extended only to large businesses and local exchange panels where service to small business, homes and other residential dwellings was still occurring through copper wires. However, bandwidth demand has continued to grow and costs of fiber-optic cable and equipments has decreased and consequentially, telecommunications providers and others have begun to install fiber optic cable all the way to small businesses, homes and other residential dwellings. This is generally referred to as fiber to the premises (FTTP).
Much of today's fiber-optic communications systems are either totally or partially installed underground. This is for protection of the cable, devices and other equipment that comprise the communications systems and also for aesthetic purposes. However, underground installation of fiber-optic communications systems requires that they compete for increasingly scarce underground space and easements that are already occupied by traditional utilities such as electricity, water, gas, sewer, copper telephone and CATV systems and also underground systems on the curtilage of dwellings including irrigation, landscape lighting and pet containment systems. Therefore, increasing the capacity of underground fiber-optic communications systems while minimizing the space and equipment needed as well as lowering costs will facilitate the expansion of FTTP.